Viscosity cup



necyz'l, 1938. E ZAHN 2,141,329

VISCOSITY CUP Filed Dec. 16, 1956 Inventor Elrw i n A. Zahn,

. His Aftor-neg UNITED a viscosity-measuring arrangement suitable for paints and oils as well as ot Other and further objects STATES PA'IIEN T I OFFICE VISCOSITY CUP Erwin A. Zahn, Scotia, N. Y., assignor to Genera Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 1c, 1936, Serial No. 116,144

2 Claims. (01. 265-11) My invention relates to arrangements and apparatus for measuring viscosity and has for its principal object the provision of asimplified, inexpensive arrangement for quickly and accurately measuring viscosity free from temperature errors. It is an object, of my invention to provide an arrangement which permits easily and quickly obtaining a temperature-viscosity curve.

A further object of my invention is to provide her liquids.

and advantages will become apparent as the description proceeds.

A better understanding of my invention may be obtained from the following detailed description when considered in connection with, the accompanying drawing and those features of the invention which are believed to be novel and patentable will be pointed out in the claims appended hereto. In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a view partially in cross section of one embodiment of my invention and Fig. 2 is a detailed view partially in section of the viscosity cup utilized in the apparatus of Fig. 1. Like reference characters are utilized throughout the drawing to In the form of the inventi designate like parts. on illustrated in the drawing, I provide a viscosity cup ll spun or otherwise formed from a suitable material, such as sheet metal, and having bottom thereof, the cup -'ll shaped with a rounded nose l3 at the bottomend. For the purpose of su an orifice I2 in the beingmade bulletspending the cup II tions in order to minimize the lence when the cup uid I4.

production of turbuis withdrawn from the liq- In order to eliminate temperature error, the cup II is kept constantly immersed in the liquid l4 and a suitable support,

such as a pin or a hook 20 engaging a ring 2| loosely inserted in the top of the handle [5, is provided for supporting the viscosity cup II in the rangementis such that the liquid l4. The arcup II can be lifted easily by the ring 2|, which "allows the cup to hang in an exactly vertical ings-are being taken. The the side of the containing ve larger containers. a

position while readhook 20 may be on ssel IS in the case of type having long tubes.

.specffic dimensions, I have found that satisfactory A viscosity measurement is made by withdrawing the cup from the liquid by lifting the handle I5 by the ring 2| and measuring the time which elapses after the withdrawal of the cup ll from the surface of the liquid I4 until there is a break 5 in the stream of liquid issuing from theorifice l2 of the cup ll. Itwill be understood that, in using this test method in connection with various liq- 1 uids varying greatly in viscosity, several viscosity cups may be employed in which the orifices I2 vary in size in order to obtain suitable time pev riods for the emptying of the viscosity cup.

The time required for the viscosity cup to empty to the point where a break in the liquid stream occurs depends, of course, on the viscosity of the liquid, the size of the orifice, and the vertical length of the .cup. The friction or viscosity characteristics of a thin plate orifice'such as that formed by making an opening in sheet material aremuch more definite than those of a tube and an orifice may. be reproduced more accurately so that more accurate readings of viscosity are obtained than by employing apparatus of the flow 'The simplicity of the apparatus also overcomes the difliculties in connection with the proper cleaning of complicated viscosity vessels with irregular surfaces and long tubes, and the fact that the viscosity cup is kept immersed in the liquid makes it possible to maintain the entire viscosimeter uniformly at the ternperature of the liquid being studied.

The precision of the measurement is facilitated by reason of the fact that there is a sudden break of flow at the end of the period during which the cup empties and the instant at which a break occurs in the flow of liquid at'the base of the cup II is very definite and can easily be determined whereas, in the ordinary fiow type of viscosimeter, it is necessary to measure a predetermined quantity of liquid by observing the exact instant when the surface level of the liquid reaches a given graduate line on a receiving receptacle and this determination is of necessity relatively indefinite.

Although my invention is not limited to any results may be obtained by employing a viscosity cup madeof one-sixteenth inch steel and having a capacity of about forty-five cubic centimeters.

- Incase it is desired to obtain a temperatureviscosity curve of a liquid, the vessel II! for the liquid It may be placed 'upon a stove or other source of .heat, such as a gas flame l9, and readings, repeated at short intervals, may be taken as 'the temperature of the liquid rises and again as the temperature cools after the gas flame-l9 is shut oii. It will be understood, oi course, that a suitable thermometer, not shown, is to be imtrative and that the invention may be carried out a by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent in the United States is:

1. A viscosimeter comprising in combination a bullet-shaped cup having an orifice in the bottom thereofla handle attached to said cup for suspending it in a liquid, the viscosity of which is to be determined, and a lifting ring movably attached to said handle for providing free vertical suspension of the cup. 7 1

2. A viscosimeter comprising in combination, a cup composed of sheet material with a thin plate orifice in the bottom thereof, said cup being adapted to be kept immersed-in a liquid; the viscosity of which is to be tested, and means for vertically withdrawing said cup from the liquid to make a viscosity-test.

ERWIN A. ZAHN. 

